After a week in Cape Town it was time to start along the Garden Route. At 7am the Baz Bus - a hop-on-hop-off shuttle service - arrived to take us to Botrivier where we were picked up our hostel and taken on to Hermanus. We were due to go shark cage diving the following day but on our arrival at the hostel we were told it had been cancelled due to bad weather. As that had been our only reason for coming to Hermanus, the news left us in a bit of a quandary. The next available dive was 3 days away and although I was desperate to do it and our route up the coast wasn't set in stone, we were also keen not to waste too much time in one place. The owners were very helpful though and took us through our potential route onwards, advising us which places were worth visiting and which were not. After some lunch and a walk around town we decided to stay a few days and hire a car to make it worthwhile. The town had a nice chilled vibe to it and the hostel was very cool so it was a pretty easy choice! After a nap to recover from our exhausting afternoon of decision-making we had a huge steak for dinner at the hostel braai and washed it down with a few beers in their garden bar.

As well as shark diving, hermanus is also known for it's whale-watching, so after a very late breakfast we went for a walk along the cliffs to see what we could find. Although it was sunny, it was an extremely windy day and looking at the waves it was easy to see why the dive had been cancelled. Visibility was good though and within ten minutes we spotted a couple of humpbacks swimming 100m out waving their fins and spouting water from their blow-holes. Over the next hour we saw plenty more as we continued along the cliffs, some as close as 50m from the shore. Satisfied with our afternoons work - and quietly smug we got to see whales for free (whale-watching tours ran for £50 a pop) - we had a lazy few hours before picking up our rental car from the local Hertz dealership. After checking out a beach and the New Harbour we returned to the hostel to cook dinner and relax in front of the fire for the evening.

In the morning we packed up, checked out and drove off to explore the surrounding areas. After a quick drive through sleepy Stanford we stopped in Swellendam to visit a Fairy House. Essentially nothing more than a house inhabited by a slightly unstable woman who believes wholeheartedly in the existence of fairies, the entire grounds were decked out with displays of magical creatures. It was intriguing enough though - and oddly impressive since everything had been hand-crafted by the crazy fairy lady! - and a nice break from the road. After that we took a drive into the mountains, stopping occasionally to admire the views or taking a detour through another small town. The plan had been to find somewhere to stay for the night but we couldn't find anywhere we liked so we headed back to hermanus. Thankfully the hostel had a room for us in their attached cottage but as soon as we entered we were accosted by a local couple who were also staying there. They offered us a beer and we started chatting. They were on a weekend break from Cape Town, and it was interesting to talk about our different lives and cultures. After a while though the subject turned to politics and race, and as coloureds (their words not mine!) they had a hell of a lot to say! Soon we were looking for a chance to escape but when we told them we were going into town for dinner they said they wanted to join us! Dreading the thought of spending an entire night with them, we agreed to meet them in the main reception later before giving them the slip by jumping in a cab before they could arrive! As it turns out the meal we had was pretty underwhelming and definitely overpriced but at least it was peaceful! Some confusion with the tuk-tuk driver (who claimed he picked us up my mistake) on the ride home meant we had to get out and walk after just one block! Probably not the best idea given the advice about walking at night in SA but Hermanus seemed safe enough.

The next day we drove to Cape Aguilhas, the southernmost tip of Africa. It was slow going on the dirt tracks - we weren't insured to drive on them but it was the most direct route - and when we eventually arrived there wasn't a hell of a lot to see...just a tiny plaque on a rock! We stopped for lunch at a local house/restaurant...I'm not entirely sure what it was! After walking through the kitchen, we were seated in a dining area that looked like a converted garage where the owner was sitting at the bar with his mates, watching the grand prix and downing shots of jager! On the way home we watched a huge colony of baboons cross the road around us and then tried to find a carwash to wash away the muddy evidence of our dirt track escapades! It was Sunday so they were all closed but luckily when we returned the car nothing was said. When we got back to the hostel we were told our shark dive had been confirmed for the following day (as the weather was due to be clear) and headed out to the New Harbour to celebrate the good news half-price pizzas for dinner!

Early next morning we got the news we'd been dreading - the shark dive had been cancelled again due to continued bad weather at sea. To make it worse the tour company guaranteed it would be going the next day! Unhelpful Baz Bus timetables meant if we stayed for the dive we'd have to stay 2 more nights in Hermanus and remove somewhere from our itinerary further up the coast. I was resigned to missing out but Kate realised if we didn't do it I'd sulking for a while - watching people go on the trip as we left Hermanus in the morning would have been doubly frustrating - so we moved a few things around and stayed on. The owner - who'd already booked us on the next days trip anyway! - then told us about a cool hiking trail we could do before dropping us off at the start of the trail. Two hours later, after completing a relatively easy walk, we found ourselves in town and went for a huge lunch. We spent the rest of the day chilling at the hostel, before cooking ourselves dinner in the evening.

The next day I woke up at 6.30 to the shocking news that the shark dive was actually going ahead! Finally! At 6.45 we were picked up by the Sharkmaster, Vern, a burly man with the fitting demeanour of someone who could wrestle a great white with one hand tied behind his back if he felt like it. After a sleepy 45minute drive to nearby Gansbaai - where the boat launched from - we were fattened up with a hearty breakfast before signing our lives away at the briefing. On board by 9, the boat was smaller than we'd expected and with 25 people packed on it seemed a little crowded. After a bumpy 15minute ride out to sea we dropped anchor and waited. Boat hands threw chum in the sea and dragged giant tuna heads through the water to attract the sharks but for the first hour all we saw was whales! Already in our wetsuits when the first shark arrived I raced from the top deck and jumped into the cage - after 6 days waiting i wasnt standing on ceremony just in case it was the only shark sighting of the day!

The water was freezing and not very clear do I couldn't see too much. After the first swim past the shark disappeared and we sat there shivering for a good 20minutes before it reappeared. There was no breathing apparatus, just a snorkel mask, so we were reliant on Vern and the captain to tell us when sharks were nearing the cage - at which point we'd hold our breath and duck underwater for a look. In fact it was easier to see more from above the water and after catching a couple of flashes of tail as the shark grappled with the tuna head bait, we had to leave the cage to let others have a go. Kate immediately changed out of her wetsuit but I was determined to see more after the disappointment of my first dive. A couple of dives later and I was back in the cage. This time I got some great sightings when a shark swam very slowly past the cage eyeballing us as if we were his next dinner. Then with time running out and Vern itching to get back to shore, we got the grand finale. Seconds before we were about to get out of the cage another shark came in for a close look and as the boat hand pulled the bait line slowly towards us the shark swam straight at the cage and lunged for the tuna head. With an amazing view as the shark swam right at us, jaws gaping, everyone leapt back from the front of the cage as it crashed into us. With the shark thrashing around less than a foot from my face, I came up to the surface to get another view. The boat was alive with commotion as people wondered if one of us had lost a hand and the Frenchman in the cage next to me was screaming his lungs out (pansy!). We were tightly wedged into the cage on my side and I realised he was stuck under my shoulder, unable to surface and scared s***less! As I manouevered myself to let him up, the shark finally let go of the bait and swam away. What a finish...the last 60 seconds had made the 6 day wait totally worth it!

Back on shore we got a hot lunch to warm us up and a celebratory beer. It was a nice sunny afternoon so we spent the rest of the day lounging in the hostel garden before enjoying another steak braai and chilling with the hostel staff over a few beers.

On our final day in Hermanus we had a long lie-in before grabbing brunch in town. On our return the hostel owners were waiting to offer us a free upgrade for our final night (the last few days we'd been in dorms to cut costs) as a reward for us hanging around so long! The hostel wasnt overly busy but it was a nice touch giving us a choice of their private suites. In the afternoon we went on a tour of the local township. Town Elder Willy met us at the cash and carry before guiding us through the streets and telling us about peoples lives and the local Xhosa culture. Townships are poverty stricken villages where entire families live in tiny, ramshackle houses/huts often no bigger than a single car garage. A lot of SAs crime problems are blamed on these townships but most people seemed friendly enough (though some did eye us with suspicion). Some stopped to chat and the kids were fascinated by our cameras, constantly asking for their photos to be taken. It was an interesting insight into township life but as the tour drew to a close and the sun started to set, there was a noticeable change in the atmosphere. I didn't feel particularly threatened but as night drew in, shady characters began to emerge and we were eyed very suspiciously...like we shouldn't be there! It was definitely time to go and we were more than a little glad when the hostel van pulled in to pick us up! After a nice dinner in town we spent the evening chilling in our free ensuite room.